Mapping Maryland

IntroductionMaryland, colony and state, features prominently in the history of
America's mapping. One of the earlier colonized regions, it has appeared
on maps (in varying degrees of detail) for over 350 years. At first, interest
was focused mainly on the Chesapeake Bay area, but when the colonized area
expanded to the west, so did maps.

Over the centuries the function of maps and the nature of the information
provided by them changed also. The earliest maps served the specific needs
of explorers: names of Indian tribes, possible locations of passages to
the Pacific Ocean and information about wild animals. The colonists of
the 17th and 18th centuries were especially interested in the location
of roads, mountains and boundaries. The users of maps during the Industrial
Revolution referred to them to learn, in addition, the location of mills,
mines, furnaces and forges.

Mapping Maryland traces the visual depiction of Maryland
from its pre-colonial times through the mid-nineteenth century.